Uzumaki Ritsuko and the Chuunin Exams
by Fleur de Anemone
Summary: Looks like the next generation of genin are ready for the next level of ninja training. Uzumaki Ritsuko, Kaz Rufy and Aburame 'Cicada' Celia take on the chuunin exams. Rated T for language.
1. The Three POVs

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

**Aforenotes: Alright. Let me clear some stuff up for you:**

Cerise is 32.  
Naruto is 33, and so is everyone else who was 12 in the beginning of the series.  
(Which means Neji, Lee and Tenten are 34 because they were 13.)  
Tsunade is 71, but is using her jutsu, so she doesn't look like it. When she retires, she plans to make Naruto the sixth Hokage.  
Every single genin is 12 unless stated otherwise.

**Just a little more things to clear up. See, I stuck everyone in my favorite pairing. So...**  
Cerise married Naruto. (Durh) Their daughter is Uzumaki Ritsuko.  
Tenten married Neji. Their son is Hyuuga Hiraku.  
Hinata married Kiba. (He almost married Martini but I decided otherwise.) Their son Inuzuka Kiba Jr.  
Temari married Shikamaru. Their daughter is Nara Shikara.  
Sakura married Gaara, but they divorced. Their children are Haruno-Sabaku no Ulrio and Haruno-Sabaku no Minako (Sakura, Ulrio and Minako live in Konohagakure, Gaara declared unfit to parent by Tsunade... And himself.). Ulrio and Minako are male-and-female twins (What are they called?).  
Shino married Miashi, an OC. Their daughter is Aburame Celia.  
Lee, Sasuke, Kankurou, Ino, etc. are single (Unless I decide that they're married in later chapters.)

* * *

**Uzumaki Ritsuko and the Chuunin Exams  
By Fleur de Anemone  
****Chapter one: The Three POVs**

"I hear we have a good crop of genin this year."

Cerise sat on the edge of a desk, toying with a kunai as Naruto looked out a window. The genin were pouring into the building by now, even though the third-floor doors opened in ten minutes. "I mean, if Kiba and Hinata's son is in it... Think about it, byakugan _and_ a puppy? Freaky... Tenten and Neji's son is, too... My danger senses are tingling."

"Our daughter is in it too, Naruto." Cerise replied, the kunai slipping and stabbing into the floor. "Ritsuko is well trained, but I feel she takes from my side of the family."

"In terms of looks, yes, in terms of strength, no."

"Are you saying I'm weak?"

"No, I'm just saying that I'm stronger."

Cerise mumbled something that sounded like "Whatever..."

_**Ritsuko's POV**_

I rubbed my bleeding cheek, glaring at the chuunin in front of the doors.

"Kids like you can't pass," One of them said. "Go back home to your parents."

My ocean-colored eyes flickered slightly. "I'm sorry, sir, but my parent's are inside and I need to get through or they will be very disappointed."

"The only people in there are Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Cerise."

"That's them."

The chuunin leaned forward. "Are you saying that your parents are Uzumaki Naruto, the greatest hero of Konoha and next in line to be Hokage, and Uzumaki Cerise, his wife since he was seventeen?"

"Is it just me, or did you hit the nail on the head?"

This seemed to annoy the chuunin.

I was pleased.

"HEY RITSUKO WE HAVE LIKE FIVE MINUTES, CAN'T YOU JUST KILL HIM OR SOMETHING?"

And that was my annoying teammate.

Kaz Rufy.

Now, you might be wondering why my strange friend was shouting. Well, see, in all truthfulness, Rufy was like... Half deaf. I swear to God, he's half deaf. He NEVER takes off his headphones. I've been training with him for a year, and I've never seen him without his headphones. He's always listening to the Black Eyed Peas, them and their funky ungodly music. If you say something to him, he won't know. So we speak to him in sign language.

"No, Rufy, I'm not going to kill him." I said, moving my hands in the necessary motions. "I mean, come on, his blood isn't good enough to spill. But then again, it might convert to being good enough if he doesn't move his ass."

Rufy laughed after translating my hand motions.

Cicada didn't care and focused on her book. Oh, right, that was my other teammate; Cicada. Well... Aburame Celia. See, her nickname's a pun because she's so quiet while cicadas are always chirping and chirping. It's so goddamn annoying. Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp... See, isn't that annoying? Celia only spoke when it was necessary. And now was necessary.

She snapped her book shut. "Ritsuko, listen, are you going to stop to argue, or are we just going to walk around them and get to room 301? Surely, you've noticed."

"I only noticed because Dad told me." I motioned so I could get Rufy's opinion.

"CHEATER!" He cried, sounding outraged.

"Yeah, well, whatcha gonna do? This is unofficial, so my dad felt it right to tell me." I shrugged and motioned.

Cicada looked at us like we were stupid and sighed. "Could you fine gentlemen step aside and let us proceed to the third floor?"

The chuunin blinked and smirked. "This is the third floor," The other one said, the one I didn't freak out with my sharp tongue. Which isn't very sharp, if you think about it...

I motioned his response to Rufy, who yelled, "NO IT'S NOT THIS IS THE SECOND FLOOR! TAKE OFF THE GENJUTSU, STUPID, OR I'LL REMOVE IT MYSELF!"

I looked at Rufy and motioned. _How are you going to do that?_

"...I DON'T KNOW!"

The chuunin dropped the genjutsu, revealing the sign that said not 301, but 201.

"Fine." Cicada walked around the chuunin and began to climb the stairs behind. "Onward. Good day, gentlemen. Come on, Ritsuko, and bring Rufy."

"Yeah, don't forget your little freak friend."

I didn't motion to Rufy, so he just stared at the chuunin blinking. Rufy most likely heard _Trench men hits, with no delusion. The feeling irresistible and that's how we movin'_, because that's what we could hear through his 'phones.

With a glare at the chuunin, I followed Cicada. Rufy tried, and suceeded, to moonwalk up the stairs

**_Naruto's POV_**

I shoved Cerise away, looking at the doors. "Looks like the genin are here, love."

I ran over and looked out the little window above the door at the approaching genin. Cerise hugged me from behind and kissed the back of my neck, playing with my hair. "So?"

"Well, Cherry-chan, we can't make out in front of the kidlets, can we?" I said, sweatdropping.

"Kidlets!"

"Yes, kidlets. Now stop teasing and get off...!" I spun around and pried her off me, throwing her into a chair. "Stay, girl!"

I threw open the doors, grinning. "WELCOME TO THE CHUUNIN EXAMS!" I exclaimed. I held up a little stack of cards and gave one to everyone as they came in. "Sit in the seat marked with this number; you can chat and junk until all the genin are here, or at least until three."

I watched Ritsuko check the clock as she took her number; 2:45 PM. 15 minutes. Ah, the quick-thinking of youth. Oh my God, did I just think that? I sound like Lee! I do _not_ want to sound like that spandex-wearing trainaholic...

Like ten minutes later all the genin were here. I tried to shut them up, to no avail... it was sad, really... And so finally...

I threw a kunai and broke a light.

"HEY! I SAID STOP TALKING! Do you want me yell at you like Ibiki yelled at us 21 years ago? Come on, you maggots, get your head down from the clouds!" I shouted.

Everyone shut up.

"Thank you." I continued calmly. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the examiner of this first test. Here to assist me is the _beautiful _Uzumaki Cerise."

Cerise giggled and waved.

Ritsuko gagged.

"Now everyone, we will now hand out the exams. Yes, it's a..."

"A PAPER EXAM?" The shriek was unmistakable. It was Ritsuko. She stood up, eyes wide. "DAD, THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS...! CAN'T WE JUST FIGHT?"

"Shut up!" I snapped. "Just because you're my daughter doesn't mean you can make me change the rules. There will be NO fighting without my permission. Thoses little idiots who do so will be failed at once, along with their teammates! Now sit down, Ritsuko, and shut the hell up. When you are given the test, you are not to look at it. Those that do will, once again, be failed with their teammates. Now, for the rules."

There was a ripple of "_Rules_?" through the genin. I chuckled. This might actually be fun, eh?

"I'll write them on the board as I speak them." I went on. "Everyone will start out with ten points. The test is ten questions that each equal one point, but this uses a certain system called the 'subtraction system.' If you answer all the questions right, you keep your points. But if you miss like six questions, you'll only have four points at the end. So that means if you get them all wrong, you get zero points. Whether you pass or fail _mostly _depends on the toal score of you and your teammates.

"Anyone caught cheating off anyone else by the chuunin stationed around you..." I flourished my chalk overdramatically and drew the rule on the blackboard... Which was green. "...Will lose two points, regardless of how many you end up with. If you end up with zero points... Well, you'll be failed along with your teammates."

I watched Ritsuko kick Rufy and explain what I just said in sign language.

"WHAT?"

_You'd better not screw up, dimwit._ Ritsuko motioned.

"YOU'D BETTER NOT SCREW UP EITHER!"

And both of them headdesked within a milisecond of each other.

"Ritsuko!"

Cerise pointed to a seat in the front. The unfortunate boy she pointed at was Neji and Tenten's son, Hiraku. "I can't have you sitting next to a teammate during this. Please, switch with Hiraku."

Ritsuko stood up glumly. She and Hiraku passed in the aisle, mumbling a quick "good luck," to each other that I could easily hear. Ritsuko sat down, and of course, headdesked.

Finally satisfied, Cerise and I said as one, "The test will last one hour. Begin!"

_**Kiba Jr's POV**_

I had, like, no idea how to do this. You can't cheat, and these questions are freaking impossible. I looked at the clock and I was all: _Holy shit, it's already been TEN fucking minutes? I'VE DONE NOTHING!_

I considered my stupid options. One, was to not do anything and fail me and my teammates, Nara Shikara and Haruno-Sabaku no Ulrio. Two, was to procrastinate to the point of no return and hope to find an answer. Three, was to cheat.

I CAN'T FUCKING CHEAT!

I headdesked numerous times. Is it just me, or do people headdesk a lot?

I turned and looked around at the other genin. Dad said there were a lot when HE took it like 21 years ago when he was like 12. But there weren't. Hmm... 21 years... I looked at Naruto and Cerise, who were boredly pacing and poking things with kunai. That would... _Should_... Mean that Naruto and Cerise were both... 32 or 33. I sighed and looked back at my paper.

Question one: _Solve the cryptogram_. Um... Okay, next.

Question two: _Line B, seen in the picture, is the greatest possible distance a shinobi can throw his shuriken from a tree of seven meters. For enemies who appear within the circumference of the shuriken's range, explain the attack options using this distance. Show your work._

Where the Hell did that come from? Who gives a crap if the tree is seven meters... Ahh, skip it. I looked at question ten, deciding to work backwards.

_This question will be revealed 45 minutes after the test begins. Listen to the examiner(s) closely before answering._

WHAT'S WITH THAT?

My puppy's name was Akashi, the "aka" in rememberance of dad's dog that died of age a few years ago. I stroked Akashi carefully as he perched almost catlike on my head. I poked the little red triangles under my eyes. I headdesked again. _Nothing_ was going to help me now... SO I just decided to... Think.

People always said I was the spitting image of my father with my mom's hair. So, yeah, they're right. I look exactly like my dad, Inuzuka Kiba Sr, but I have the same hair color as my mom... So... It's black... With like... This purple hue. It's girly, but I needed SOMETHING from my mom. And I did NOT want Inuzuka Hinata's white-lavender eyes. In all respect...

Those eyes...

Were REALLY freaky.

I shot a minute glance at Ritsuko beside me, procrastinating as I was. _She_ was the spitting image of her _mother_. Same hair, same skin tone, same whatever, except her eyes were a shocking electric-ish blue. Wait a second, why do I care?

I then proceeded to tear the hair out of my scalp. I was going to fail... Shikara and Ulrio are going to kill me...

"Kiba?"

I blinked. Who...

Ritsuko.

WHAT THE FUCK WAS SHE DOING? We're in the _front row_. If her parents catch her talking to me...

"Do you know what they're trying to make us do?"

I blinked again, this time twice. What does she mean?

I shook my head.

"Dad said," She whispered. "That anyone _caught_ cheating would lose points. Don't you get it, Kiba? This isn't a test to become a chuunin, this is to see how well we gather information. We're _supposed_ to cheat. In face, they _encourage_ it."


	2. The Sixty Kidlets

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.  
**Aforenotes: **Yey. I've decided that Ino married an OC named Yoshiaki Benito and had twins, Isano and Isako. And I've also decided that Sakura had _three_ children, twins and a boy, Haruno-Sabaku no Satoaki.

**Uzumaki Ritsuko and the Chuunin Exams  
****By Fleur de Anemone  
****Chapter two: The Sixty Kidlets**

Kiba Jr's POV

I stared at Ritsuko, half-shocked. Why did she tell _me_, of all people? She could have secretly told Celia and Rufy...

In fact, Ritsuko turned slightly, her eyes swiveling to glance behind her at Celia (I later learned she was nicknamed "Cicada") several rows up. Celia was scribbling madly on her paper, ever smart-ish. Pausing, she lifted her head and looked directly at Ritsuko. What the Hell...? If Naruto and Cerise or the chuunin against the walls caught them even looking at each other...

And then I saw. Under the table, which we could clearly see, Cicada's hands were moving. Rapidly, as if she were scared. All of a sudden, her hands stopped and she went back to her paper. Ritsuko turned and nodded to herself briefly, writing down answers. I began to speak, but she interrupted.

"Shh, Kiba. It was sign language. You can look at my answers if you want."

One of my eyebrows skyrocketed.

Was this a trick?

Ritsuko?

Naaah...

Then again... I know for a fact that Ritsuko was tricky. I narrowed my eyes. Maybe she was tricking me into looking. Maybe if I looked, a chuunin would automatically look my way and take away two points.

But Ritsuko wasn't like that. She was nice, if not loud, and she'd help me. But...

"Why?" I asked.

Ritsuko turned red and reached up to play with her hair. "Well, come on, us rookies gotta stick together, right?"

Ritsuko's POV

What the Hell was I talking about? I couldn't care less if Kiba failed. Or did I? Was Kiba even a rookie? Yeah, he graduated with us. But I never really thought about it before. Oh well. I sound like a total moron.

I looked back at Rufy, expecting him to be sort of chair-dancing. And he was. I turned slightly and looked at Cicada, who had returned to scribbling furiously on her paper. What a bookworm. Weren't we just team seven?

The way I saw it, we were sort of an... _Alternate_ version of my dad's old team.

I was the perky, reckless, loud, annoying, ambitious one.

Cicada: The perfect female Sasuke. Complete with black hair and a snooty attitude.

Rufy was... NOT a Sakura. But he was the closest thing TO a Sakura, so... I guess we WERE team seven.

Too bad we were team one.

Cicada began to signal to me again, but I shook my head and motioned, _I'll find my own answers. Thanks anyway._

My eyes flickered, and I was about to use a jutsu, but my head began to throb and I jerked forward. Kiba looked at me weirdly and I opened my mouth, but I couldn't reply.

Oh no.

**Heyyy, Ritsukoooo.**

Oh, dammit, it was Yoshiaki Isako's mind control jutsu. But...

_**ISAKO GET OUT OF THIS BODY! I SAW HER FIRST!**_

Okay. So Isano was in too. So... I had three souls in my body right now.

**Nuh uh, I got my soul in first.**

**_Yeah, but it was MY idea first!_**

**You're just slow.**

**_You can cast faster than me!_**

**I'm older.**

**_BY FIVE MINUTES, 35.6 SECONDS!_**

**I'm still older. Now get out.**

**_No, you get out._**

**You!**

**_You!_**

It was an effort, but I managed to bang my head on the desk and think to them, _Come on, why don't you both get out of my body?_

_**OH MY GOD.**_

**YOU'RE CONSCIOUS!**

_Ah, durh. Get out, NOW._

I fought their souls off to stand up. I think that their power is weakened when there are two alien souls in one body. Sure, I could have waited for them to get out, but we were never really good friends, and I would strive to great lengths to piss them off.

"What is it, Ritsuko?" Dad asked, cocking an eyebrow.

My voice faltered. "It's... Crowded..."

Dad blinked and Mom asked, "What?"

"Isako and Isano..."

"The Yoshiaki twins? So?" Mom shrugged.

I winced and let down my guard. Isako took over.

"**Nah, dad, I just wanted to be noticed. I'm really quite an idiot sometimes, huh?**" Isako/me said, laughing and rubbing the back of her/my head.

Naruto sat down, sighing and crossing his legs on the desk in front of him. "Isako and Isano, fail. Caught using any kind of jutsu is considered fighting. Get your teams and leave."

Isano/Isako/Me wove my fingers together and thought, **_Release!_** at the same time. I felt something lift inside my mind and sighed, sitting back down.

Isano and her team (Youko Youki and Tinalo Militshu) stood up angrily, glaring at me. Even as they left, I could feel them glaring at me through their heads. Isako and _her_ team (Jujiku Karilan and Hiitsu Duna) ignored me. I could feel _them_ ignoring me until they left the building.

Alright. That's two teams weeded out--

"Number 58, fail."

"84 and 59, fail."

"7 and 43, fail."

Dad chuckled and smiled. "Grab your teammates and leave. I recommend going to train for next year."

NUMBER 58 THAT WAS--

I turned, eyes wide. _Ci..._

No, it wasn't Cicada. It was the boy next to her, Haruno-Sabaku no Satoaki. Cicada was number 57.

I signaled to her to give me answers again, and I got a feeling we would pass.

Naruto's POV

I looked at the clock; their 45 minutes was almost up. Soon I'll reveal that last question.

I turned around from the genin and did a little hop-skip dance. I LOVED the last question. It was so fun to see the genin looking all freaked. Not only that, but afterwards I'd be able to go home and make out with Cherry-chan.

I turned around and signaled gleefully to the chuunin, who looked at their papers and rattled off numbers:

"Numbers 52, 60 and 28, fail."

"10 and 63, fail."

I could tick off the ones that they caught in my head. I saw them all, but then again, I'm not the one who's supposed to be watching.

"50 and 48, fail."

That's the fourteenth team to be let go. Wow...

"51 and 80, fail."

Sixteenth.

"56, 79, 67, 62, fail."

Looks like this year's rookie nine made it, at least. Isano and Isako... This was their second year at the exam. Ino told me.

The rookie nine were Uzumaki Ritsuko, Aburame Celia, Kaz Rufy, Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno-Sabaku no Ulrio, Nara Shikara, Haruno-Sabaku no Minako, and Hyuuga Hiraku. Team one, six and eight.

As I look around, I count roughly 84 scattered genin left. That's 28 teams. Not too bad.

"ALRIGHT LISTEN UP!" Time for the last question. The genin stared wide eyed; I could tell all of them were thinking _BUT I'M NOT DONE YET!_

"Anyone who's not done, that's too bad. This is the tenth question." Cerise chided them. "This is the most important question of the entire first part of the exam. We'll let you choose whether or not to take this question."

Ritsuko jerked slightly in her chair. Kiba's eyes widened and Ulrio called, "Wait a minute! What if we choose not to take it, what happens then?"

"If you choose not to take it, you just leave with your team. Better luck next year."

"Alright, I think I get it." Hiraku stood up. "But what if we choose to answer and we get it wrong?"

I laughed. Thier ignorance was funny; I was sort of remembering the first time I took the exams. They're going to go crazy.

"If you get it wrong, well, you fail of course."

There was a sigh among the genin.

"But if you get it wrong, not only will you be failed but you'll never be able to take the exams again. You'll be a genin forever."

Hiraku slowly sat down, eyes wide. "I don't understand anymore..."

Ritsuko almost stood up to yell, but Kiba did that for her.

"THAT'S BULLSHIT, MAN! A genin forever? That's... Bullshit!"

"Sit down, Inuzuka, and mind your manners." Cerise snapped. "We're weeding out those who would not make good chuunin anyway! Now, anyone who does _not_ want to answer the last question, raise your hand and get out.

I smiled at the eight teams that left. That left 20 teams. An even number... Just like in my day, there would most likely be preliminaries. I loved the preliminaries.

"Aiight." Cerise stood and crossed her arms before the genin. "Are you all _completely sure_ you want to answer this question?"

The remaining genin shifted uncomfortably, except Rufy, who really didn't know what was going on. I wonder how he learned to speak and write and stuff in the first place...

"Great."

I stood up and grinned. "Congratulations. You're all in the second round."

"WHAT!"

"The tenth question was a choice whether to stay in the exams or not. You're not going to be genin forever! That's stupid, no one's ever done that before! _Come. On._" I laughed.

"WHAT!"

It seems they still didn't understand.

"Wait, I can explain." Celia stood and made her way to the blackboard, picking up a piece of chalk.

I think she might secretly be Sakura and Sasuke's child...

Normal POV

Celia traced words on the board, pointing every now and then. "The first nine questions were to test how well we could gather information. See, for those that didn't know, we were _supposed_ to cheat. Just not get caught. That explains why we get five strikes, right? Those that were caught five times were not good enough at getting information. There were two chuunin that were set out around the room-- yes, that's right, wave to the genin-- as cheating targets. Isano and Isako would have much better luck setting their jutsu on one of them instead of Ritsuko. On the battlefield, you'll have to risk your life to gather information. But you need enough wits to tell what information is right and what's not."

"I still don't understand the final question, Cicada." Hiraku said.

"The final question was the true purpose of this test," Celia sighed and began to signal her words for Rufy. "Let me explain. It was a answer-or-don't kind of question. These were hard choices to make, no? Those who choose the latter fail with their team. Those that take it could lose the chance to ever take the test again. A leap of faith, you'd might say. No matter what the danger, there are missions you cannot avoid. If you don't want to take a dangerous mission, well, that's not really your choice to make anyway. If you cling to stupid fantasies and keep your _destinies_ safe, you don't have the right to become a chuunin."

Celia said the word _destinies_ with such scorn, Ritsuko shivered. It was common knowlege that Celia was a big athiest, always had a theory for anything. She knew that things like destiny had religious ties. At one point, she admitted that their might have been a God. But then she said, _who knows, maybe gods can die after all?_

And then, the window exploded.

Kunai shot up into the walls, tacking up a huge red banner that read _WELCOME TO THE SECOND TEST!_ Feet landed on the ground too quick for anybody to notice, and a raucous voice shouted, "NO TIME FOR CELEBRATING, KIDLETS!" (Behind the banner with Naruto, Cerise cracked up.) "IT'S TIME FOR THE SECOND TEST! LET'S GO! UP AND AT 'EM! WAKE UP!"

"Anko, you're early."

Anko (Spry and perky as every) dropped her fist out of the air. She glared at Naruto and replied moodily, "So? HEY LOTS OF PEOPLE MADE IT! Anyways, kidlets, follow me so I can cut you all in half! Yay!"

Anko paraded out, the genin following. Naruto tore down the banner and smirked. "She's gonna cut them in half like the first time, Cherry-chan."

"So it seems, Naruto. So it seems."

* * *

The trees were old and sprang up towards the sky. Old, rotting vines wound up their trunks, squeezing them to the point where the bark chipped and bulged away. There was a sign that read "DANGER! KEEP OUT!" On the tall fence around it.

"Welcome to the second stage of the exams, kidlets!" Anko grinned. "Training area 44, the Forest of Death!"

* * *

**And that ends the second chapter! Woo! We finished the exams! Sorry to all the God-believers out there. I don't believe in God (DON'T STOP READING MY FANFICTION PWEASE!) either, so I just wanted to make a character like that. Yay. I don't remember if I said anything about that in my rant... Oh well, whatever. The third chapter will be up... Estimated at the end of the week/Friday ish. Wooooo! Review please. I want romance to be in this, and durh there's NaruCeri, but I want something else, too... Probably RitsuKiba...**


	3. Demon Child

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.  
**Aforenotes: **I'm tired of doing POVs. From here on out, it'll just be normal or Ritsuko's POV, because that's easier. Yay. But it'll mostly be normal.  
I just realize, I only listed 8 rookies. Well, the last one is... Ahh... Um... Harutobi Kiashu.  
And you know what? After reading through these chapters in the manga... I realized. ROCK LEE is actually cute in his own weird way. Okay, so Diana told me that. Deal with it.  
PS sorry if this chapter is kind of suckish, I wanted to get to the RitsuKiba (Next chap, sorry fangirls.)

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**LeweL: **_YEAH! KIBA SR IS GONNA CRAP HIS PANTS! AHA!_

**Achillea: **_Thanks. I LOVE when I'm called clever! NOW! COME WITH ME TO KILL SOME ANNOYING LITTLE PEOPLE! WOOOOO!_

_

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**Uzumaki Ritsuko and the Chuunin Exams  
****By Fleur de Anemone  
****Chapter three: Demon Child**

Normal POV

Ritsuko looked up at the forest, shading her eyes. "Creepy..."

Celia shrugged and sighed. "It's not that bad."

Of course, Rufy paid no attention. He stared at them and heard _It was the same damn thing, same ass excuses, boy you're useless, boy... _From his 'phones.

"Creepy? The trees are nothing. Soon you'll know why it's called the Forest of Death." Anko replied.

Ritsuko grinned and struck a pose similar to Rock Lee and Maito Gai's Nice Guy one. "That doesn't scare me. I'm not gonna back down from a bunch of trees!"

"Haha! You're like your father!" Anko stood smiling for a moment, before a kunai flew from her hand and sliced Ritsuko's cheek. Ritsuko winced, but before she could reply, Anko was behind her, holding her stiffly by her shoulders. Her face was close to Ritsuko's, her tongue lapping up the fresh blood that oozed from the cut. "You're killed easily. And you always bleed a lot, and I love that."

"Don't touch her. And whatever you do, don't drink her blood. You want blood, get your own. Ritsuko's using her's right now. AND, unless you want to die, I suggest never, _ever_ sneaking up on her again."

Anko turned. That freak kid with the headphones was glaring at her, speaking in a normal tone no less.

"So step back. She'll kill you. I'm not trying to protect her, I'm trying to protect you."

"Why would I..."

"Look at her."

Anko looked at Ritsuko. Ritsuko was trembling, her fingers hooking like talons, like claws. Her eyes were wide and insane, her pupils reduced to no more than slits.

Anko let go almost at once. She had no idea what Ritsuko was capable of at such a young age. _I almost forgot what her father was._ She thought, shivering slightly. _But when demons_ _are sealed up in humans and the human reproduces, they can make more of their kind?_

_That's bad._

"ANYWAY!" She said, as if nothing happened. She held up a packet of papers with a lot of writing on them. "I have to pass these out before we begin! You gotta sign these agreement forms!"

"Why?" Ritsuko asked, beginning to calm down. She wiped the blood off her cheek with the back of her hand and cleaned herself, licking her hand like a cat.

"Because if you die in there, it'll be my responsibility if you don't sign these!" Anko looked annoyingly cheerful. Celia could sense some bad news...

"I'll explain, then you can sign. Afterwards, check in at the booth behind me. Simply put... The second part is to test the ultimate survival."

"Survival..." Ulrio sniffed somewhere in the crowd of genin.

Ignoring this, Anko went on. "Around area 44, there are 44 locked gates. There's a tower in the center of the forest and a river that splits into two in the southeast part. From the gates and fence to the tower is about ten kilometers. During the survival in here, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and jutsu, you will compete in..." She held up two rolled up scrolls. "A no-rules scroll battle."

"A scroll battle?" Kiba questioned.

"Yes. You will fight over these two scrolls, the 'heaven' and 'Earth.' There are sixty people here. That means 20 teams. Half, ten, will get the Earth scroll. The other ten will get the heaven scroll. To pass this test, you and your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls."

_So ten teams won't make it. _Celia thought. _She's "cutting us in half."_

"But there's a time limit." Anko continued. "You'll be in the forest for exactly 120 hours to the very second the test begins. That's five days."

"Five days?" Ritsuko was outraged. "What'll we do for food?"

"There's plenty of edible plants in the forest. Just watch out for man-eating things, poisonous stuff, et cetera. And ten teams passing is highly unlikely. As the days go on, the distance to the goal will become farther. And the time to rest will become shorter. And the area is crawling with enemies, so you won't get much sleep. You might die." She held up a finger. "Now I'm going to talk about stuff that will get you eliminated. First, those that don't make it to the tower with both scrolls within the time limit. Second, those who have a teammate killed or those who get to the tower without a teammate. As a rule, there is no quitting in the middle. You'll be in there for five days. And you must not open the scroll until you get to the tower."

"What if we do?" Celia asked.

"That's a surprise for anyone who does."

"A chuunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your trustworthiness. That's it for the explanation. When you fill out the forms turn them in for you scroll. Then choose a get and get ready to begin. A final word of advice... Don't die."

Kiba sat down at the base of a gate, signing his form. _Everyone here is an enemy, except Shikara and Ulrio. _He thought. _Even the other six rookies. _He looked at Ritsuko who was listening intently to Celia. _People will die. I might die. The other rookies might die. _He stood up, waving the form at Shikara and Ulrio. _I won't let any of the other rookies die._

Gate 1: Ritsuko, Rufy, Celia

"We're so gonna get through this." Ritsuko punched the air enthusiastically. "Did you see how scared Anko was of me?"

"Ritsuko, we still have to be careful." Celia warned. "Grab Rufy and listen up. I have a plan."

Gate 36: Ulrio, Kiba, Shikara

"Survival's the nature of a dog! Akashi and me are ready!" Kiba grinned wolfishly. "But no matter what, guys, if any of the rookies are in trouble, we gotta help 'em."

Gate 15: Minako, Kiashu, Hiraku

"We're SO gonna OWN this!" Kiashi pumped his fist in the air. "We're like the strongest team here!"

* * *

"The test begins..." Anko shouted into her mouthpiece, that was connected to the chuunin that unlocked the gates. "NOW!" 

And the genin sprang into the Forest of Death.

* * *

About five minutes into the exam, there was a loud, anguished scream. 

Anko smirked and said outside the forest, "So it's begun."

In the forest, Ritsuko turned and blinked. "That was... A pretty damn loud scream...!"

The Grass nins watched them from the trees, glaring down with strange eyes. These weren't Grass nins, they couldn't be. One of them shot a glance to his teammate and said, "That's Uzumaki's kid."

"Yes, Orochimaru."

"Sasuke, why don't you try out that bite I taught you and give her a curse seal?"

Sasuke, the disguised Grass nin beside Orochimaru, shook his head. "I can't give her power. She's my rival's daughter. If I kill her, Naruto won't fight me."

"Naruto is an idiot, he'll still fight you."

"Not with Cerise. That Cerise woman is like his keeper. She'll do anything to keep him from fighting me. _Anything_."

"What do you mean?"

"If Cerise told him not to fight me, and he did, and he survived, she would never have sex with him again. I know how she thinks. Must I go on?"

"No."

"Then you do it."

"Fine!" Orochimaru snapped. He made a number of hand seals and summoned a small snake, giving it instructions to go bite Ritsuko. The snake knew what "bite" specefically meant. It slithered away.

Moments later, a high-pitched shriek was heard all the way in Sunagakure.

Ritsuko fell to her knees, crying, her hand clamped over the bite in her neck. Rufy just watching, oblivious, until Celia signaled to him and knelt next to Ritsuko, who was trembling, screaming, crying...

Celia dealt Ritsuko a quick blow to the neck, knocking her out cold.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR, CICADA?" Rufy shouted at her, outraged. "SHE'S OUR TEAMMATE! YOU STUPID..."

_Shut up!_ Celia motioned. _She would have given our position away, as you are now. The pain will subside when she comes to in a few hours._

"THEN YOU'VE JUST GIVEN EVERY SINGLE GENIN IN THIS GODDAMN FOREST PERMISSION TO ATTACK US!" Rufy went on. "NOW WE HAVE TO PROTECT RITSUKO UNTIL SHE'S WELL ENOUGH TO FIGHT FOR HERSELF! WE'LL BE WASTING OUR TIME! ALL THIS TIME I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE SMART ONE!"

_I am the smart one. _Celia replied. _You're the idiot for screaming so much._

"Fine, I'll talk quieter. But now I can't head my own fucking voice."

_Good for you. Come on, pick up Ritsuko and let's go find the river. We'll drink and grab some fish then keep moving. Let's try to get to the tower then wait for the other teams so we can ambush them._

Rufy repeated the instructions to himself to understand. "Fine. I'll carry Ritsuko, but from now on, no more hitting teammates."

A kunai whizzed from the trees, digging it's metal into Celia's shoulder. She tore it out with a small cry, pressing her hand to the wound as the crimson juices of life flowed. Rufy blinked and looked at the kunai, the handle, the insignia...

"Grass nins! Celia, get Ritsuko and run!"

But no Grass nins appeared. And when it was obvious they wouldn't appear, Rufy sighed and picked up Ritsuko, offering a hand to Celia. "Cellie, do you want me to carry you? I can handle both you and 'Suko."

Celia nodded. "Thanks, Rufy."

Rufy hefted her up onto his shoulder and took off through the woods, moving to the beat of a fast paced song on his 'phones.

It was night. Celia had passed out from blood loss. Rufy had bound the wound tightly, and the bleeding had slowed and stopped. Ritsuko was still asleep, and had a horrible fever. Rufy, once he reached the river, dipped a cloth in the water and put it on her forehead. But he didn't know how feverish Ritsuko was, and soon the water was all gone.

It was dark, in fact, nearly morning. Rufy was tired, cold, hungry and had to take care of two girls. And it didn't help when,

"Oh, so my kunai struck its target."

Rufy turned with a kunai, shielding the two girls. A team of Grass nins; two boys and a girl; had popped out of the night like... Cockroaches.

"WHO BIT RITSUKO?" Rufy demanded. "WHY DID YOU THROW A KUNAI AT CICADA? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT SCROLL WE HAVE!"

"It doesn't matter." The female Grass nin said. "Wake up Ritsuko. We need to fight her, because those were our orders from our leader."

Something jumped in Rufy's mind. "Of course. Your leader is Orochimaru, one of the legendary three! Why did he sent a snake to bite Ritsuko? And why didn't a seal appear? Tell me!"

The Grass nins blinked and looked at each other. "What was he thinking... Well, now we know that you know, we have to kill you." One of the boys shrugged. "Sad, really."

The Grass nins leapt forward. Rufy viciously jabbed with his kunai, but his blade only met air.

"Hey, don't you know? Orochimaru is an old gay fag bent on raping little boys."

Rufy knew that voice...

"Kiba?"

"THE second and only." Kiba replied. "I'm not gonna stand by watching while my fellow rookies get the shit beat out of 'em." He turned and grinned, letting go of the Grass girl's wrist after snapping it.

"Who are you?" The Grass girl growled.

"Inuzuka Kiba the second. And you, my dear girl, are a hardassed ugly whore."

Kiba did several hand signs and muttered, "Double-headed wolf."

And in a puff of smoke, there stood an enormous two-headed dog.

Akashi and Kiba were each one head. Kiba barked something and the two dogs began to spin.

"DOUBLE WOLF FANG!" Was growled into the air.

It was Kiba's father's technique.

A direct hit was capable of tearing someone to pieces.

Unable to see their target, Kiba and Akashi had to move by scent. And they did. They smelled a Grass boy and went after him, spinning into him at the speed of sound. When they hit their target, they uttered a cry of alarm.

The two-headed wolf stumbled back, an enormous kunai jammed up into it's paw. One of the Grass nins had hidden Earth style underground and attacked once the wolf was above.

In another puff of smoke, Kiba and Akashi seperated, their left hand/paw shredded by the kunai. Wincing, Kiba tore off cloth from his sleeve and tied it around his arm to stop the bleeding. "Dammit..."

The Grass nin pulled his oversized kunai from the ground just as Kiba stumbled back onto the ground, clutching his wrist. The Grass nin spun his kunai and said through clenched teeth, "It's over."

"OH NO IT AIN'T!" Rufy replied, leaping in between him and knocking the kunai away with his foot. He threw a handful of shuriken at the Grass nin, but the Grass nin _caught_ them and threw them down. The girl snuck around behind and grabbed Rufy's headphones, pulling his head back with them.

"What's your problem, kid? If you have time to listen to music, then train, you freak!" She looked up and smirked. "Hey, why don't you kill Ritsuko in front of this freak's face?"

"No!" Rufy cried. "Don't...! Ritsuko, wake up!" He started to cry and panic, the thought _They're going to kill Ritsuko_ flashing through his mind. _Ican'tletthathappen..._

Rufy slowly lifted his hands to his ears. _They're going to kill Ritsuko. I won't let them. They won't kill Ritsuko. Not while I'm alive. They can't kill Ritsuko. I won't hear it. No._

"What the Hell are you doing?"

"WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M DOING, BITCHES?"

Rufy tore away his headphones.

People stared.

But Rufy wasted no time. He spun around and kicked the girl into a tree, pouncing on the boy Grass nin in front of him. He battered away with his fists, not using any specefic technique. When his fists began to hurt he clamped his teeth into the boy's hand, drawing blood. The boy sliced at his head with a kunai, cutting off clumps of hair and drawing LOTS of blood which dripped down Rufy's face and blurred his vision and...

"Hey."

The fighting stopped. Everyone looked into a tree, up at Ulrio and Shikara, but mostly Ulrio, who was speaking. Now Rufy wasn't listening, but Ulrio said, "See that guy with the, like, broken hand on the ground over there bleedin' to death?"

Everyone looked at Kiba and nodded.

"Were you Grass freaks the one that did that to him? Because, if so, that guy's our teammate, and you're going to die a horrible, painful death."

"GET DOWN HERE!" The in-tact Grass nin shouted angrily. "Face us if you want to kill us so bad!"

"I don't have to."

Rufy turned. "RITSUKO! YOU'RE AWAKE!"

But this was not the Ritsuko he knew.

Ritsuko stood up, the dropped back down,eyes mad and wide. Long claws sprouted from her fingers. All in all, she didn't look human. She was on all fours, her back arched, small fangs dripping inhuman saliva that looked like acid.

"Rufy... Your head... All that blood... Who did that to you?"


End file.
